4.36pm: Before we wrap up here's a summary of the main developments today.

• Activists claim eight people were killed as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets all over Syria (see 2.40pm). For the first time the unrest spread to the centre of the capital city Damascus where security services were filmed firing at protesters at close range, according to unverified footage (see 3.56pm).The suburbs of Damascus saw significant demonstrations. The protests were dubbed the "Friday of No Dialogue" to emphasise activist's refusal to enter talks with the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

• The US ambassador was filmed being welcomed by protesters in the restive central Syrian city of Hama (see 3.02pm). Robert Ford, who was accompanied by the French ambassador, left the city after his visit prompted fury from the Syrian government. A spokeswoman accused Ford of thwarting government attempts to talk with the opposition (see 2.45pm).

• Supporters of Yemen's president Saleh fired shots into the air after his pre-recorded video address was broadcast on state TV. Analysts are unconvinced that Saleh is well enough to lead his crisis-hit country.

• Tens of thousands of people have returned to Cairo's Tahrir Square to demonstrate at the slow pace of reform in Egypt and the lack of police accountability. "Things are going in the wrong direction," said Lilian Wagdy, one of the protesters massed in the square. Human Rights Watch has called on authorities to show restraint in how the protest is policed.

3.56pm: Nadim Houry, Syria researcher for Human Rights Watch urges people to switch attention from Hama to Damascus and Homs.

3.53pm: Protesters in Tahrir Square express their frustration at the pace of change in Egypt and the exoneration of Mubarak ministers in this video from today's protests.

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3.44pm: AP said that Ford travelled to Hama with the French ambassador. It said they left before the protest began, but video footage (see 3.02pm) suggests that the protest was well under way while they were there.

In a statement, made before Ford left the city, she said: This is considered an escalation on the part of the US Ambassador. Never before an ambassador visited a city with a problem like the case of Hama without permission.

She claimed that the visit was aimed at thwarting government attempts to initiate dialogue with the opposition.

"There is great protest and resentment among the Syrian people about the U.S. State Department's statement that the Ambassador is in Hama and intends to stay till Friday on the eve of the national dialogue due to be held among all spectrums of the Syrian society…this gives us a message that the US says 'No' to dialogue."

Shaaban again blamed the killing in Syrian on armed gangs.

Who is killing the Syrian army and security? If you came under an armed attack, what would you do? Violence comes from the armed members and saboteurs in the streets.

2.40pm: Eight people have been killed in today's protests in Syria, according to the LCCS. It says protesters have been killed in Dumair, Zabadani, Banyas and Midan in centre of Damascus. More than 40 people have wounded, it added.

Ayman Mohyeldin reporting from a vantage point above the square says it is the biggest demo since Mubarak fell. "Revolution First" is the slogan of the rally, Mohyeldin says. He also confirms that protesters are policing the rally themselves and the security forces are staying away (a point Jack Shenker made earlier).

The government demanded that the Guardian publish an apology "to the Libyan people", which it had itself prepared. The paper refused.

Guardian journalist Xan Rice's spell in Tripoli ended similarly abruptly last month. Reporters from the Daily Telegraph, CNN and Reuters have also been expelled in recent days.

Foreign journalists in government-controlled Libya are obliged to stay at one hotel, the Rixos in Tripoli, and are not allowed to leave the grounds without a government "minder", causing frustration and strained relations. Their output is closely monitored by Libyan officials.

• Hundreds of thousands Syrians have taken to the streets all over the country, despite a continuing crackdown by the government. The protests were dubbed the "Friday of No Dialogue" to emphasise activist's refusal to enter talks with the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Sizeable demonstrations have been filmed close to the capital Damascus.

• The US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, has left Hama after travelling to the restive city to show solidarity with the protesters. His trip prompted a furious reaction from the Syrian government. Large demonstrations have again taken place in the city today.

• Supporters of Yemen's president Saleh fired shots into the air after his pre-recorded video address was broadcast on state TV. Analysts are unconvinced that Saleh is well enough to lead his crisis-hit country.

• Tens of thousands of people have returned to Cairo's Tahrir Square to demonstrate at the slow pace of reform in Egypt and the lack of police accountability. "Things are going in the wrong direction," said Lilian Wagdy, one of the protesters massed in the square. Human Rights Watch has called on authorities to show restraint in how the protest is policed.

1.56pm: The US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, has left Hama, an official told AP.

An official said he left Friday afternoon so as not to be a distraction during the weekly demonstrations.

One of the banners in the clip above is dated 8 July. It says we "sacrifice our lives and blood for Hama," something that is also being chanted by the protesters, according to my Arabic speaking colleague Mona Mahmood. Another banner appears addressed to President Assad. It says: "You have shown us all your faces, now show us your backside." The third banner says: "No dialogue with conditions, with the murderer and the butcher".

12.35pm: Our video team has produced a subtitled clip of Yemen's President Saleh's first TV address since the attack on his compound more than a month ago.

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12.23pm: Protesters in Tahrir Square have chased off the state media, Jack Shenker reports from Cairo.

State television cameras came down to film the protesters, and they were chased out of Tahrir, who said 'No, there hasn't been enough reform inside the state media. We don't want your cameras here. We are going to take control now. This is citizen journalism'.

In an audio update he said estimates of numbers attending range from tens of thousands to up to 250,000.

Jack said government concessions over policing in the last few days had done nothing to placate the anger of protesters.

It quoted Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, as saying: "Some demonstrators were injured by security forces trying to disperse them. Some were seriously injured."

The Local Co-ordination Committees of Syria emailed this update last night on Harasta. It said:

Many protesters were wounded after security forces opened fire on an evening demonstration that went from Al-Hasan Mosque. Their families were not able to rescue them due to heavy fire and usage if tear gas. Many participants were arrested.

So far there's been no sign of US ambassador Ford, who is in the city to show solidarity with the protesters.

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The purple banner draped down the side of the clock tower, and seen briefly in this clip, could be seen in footage last week at the biggest demonstration in the Syrian uprising so far. It reads: "Long live a free Syria. Fall down Bashar."

Yesterday a resident of Hama told the Guardian that protesters would be too busy defending the city from the army to come out to protest in large numbers today.

11.17am:Human Rights Watch has condemned Egyptian police tactics used at the last big demonstration in Tahrir Square just over a week ago, and urged the police to use restraint today.

It said police brutality witnessed and filmed on 28 and 29 June showed the urgent need for reform, which protesters today are calling for.

Human Rights Watch spoke with 10 witnesses, some of them protesters, who gave consistent accounts of seeing men in civilian clothing armed with sticks, and sometimes with metal rods and stones, standing with the riot police officers and apparently operating under their command.

The video footage of Central Security officers throwing stones back at protesters and firing teargas recklessly is ample evidence of the need for police to follow basic international standards. With more demonstrations expected on July 8, the government needs to act quickly to prevent more mayhem and injury.

There's no doubting the potential dangers in this visit. They are both personal and political. He's leading a small delegation and his plan is to walk the streets and to talk to as many ordinary people as he can.

Yesterday he saw barricades erected by locals fearful the army might sweep into the city. The mood, he reported, is calm but eerie.

Today he might well witness post Friday prayer demonstrations. Whether his presence stops the severe response that usually follows is, shall we say, a calculated risk. Mr Ambassador has apparently sought the permission of his boss, Hillary Clinton, but not necessarily of his wife.

She might be anxious; the Syrian authorities are outraged.

10.10am: The US State department has denied Syrian government claim that the US ambassador travelled to the Syrian town of Hama without permission.

"The embassy informed Syrian officials that an embassy delegation, without specifying whom, would be heading to Hama. And they then proceeded to make their way there and were allowed to proceed,"

Ford's delegation did not include any official Syrian "handlers," Nuland said, adding that Syrian authorities allowed him through check points to reach the town.

"For him to go personally at this time and stand with the people of Hama, I think expresses in physical terms - not to mention political terms - our view that the people of Hama have the right to express themselves peacefully and that we are concerned about the posture that the security forces have taken," Nuland said, adding that Ford plans to stay through protests planned on Friday.

9.49am: Yemen analyst Ameen al Himyani, a professor at Qatar university, was unconvinced by President Saleh's TV address. Himyani told al-Jazeera that Saleh didn't look well enough to carry out the responsibilities of office.

This clip shows part of Saleh's address - he looked weak and heavily made up.

Upon hearing the news of Saleh's TV appearance, shop owners blasted their radios and danced on the streets, residents went on their roofs and fired into the air, women ululated from their windows, and teens jumped in their cars and drove around the city hanging out of the window screaming, "The people want Ali Saleh!"

There have been reports of multiple casualties from returning bullets in Sana'a. The number is sure to rise throughout the night...

Despite the celebrations and excitement, there is no clear sign of concern on whether or not President Saleh is fit for duty.

9.13am: The Local Co-ordination Committees of Syria, the group organising and publicising the protests, have repeated their refusal to enter dialogue with the government.

They said they would only enter talks if the following conditions are met:

• Stop all forms of killing and violence against peaceful demonstrators• Lift the siege imposed on the provinces and cities in Syria and return all the military units to their military sites. • Release of all the political detainees (including peaceful demonstrators) in Syria• Take responsibility for ensuring the safety of the demonstrators• Stop all forms of pro-regime propaganda in which people who call for freedom are being accused of treason• Allow foreign media to have access to Syria in order to cover the current events

Several Egyptian political groups have announced plans to stage a "million person" demonstration. Regardless of whether these gatherings are confrontational or not, the demonstrations and the police/military presence may cause major traffic disruptions in multiple locations in Cairo, Alexandria, and other cities in Egypt. The Embassy has no information that these gatherings will be violent, however, any large demonstration has the potential to turn violent.

8.15am: Welcome to Middle East Live. There are three big stories to keep track of today:• Demonstrations in Syria as the US ambassador visits Hama to show solidarity for the rebellious city• Tahrir Square protests at the slow pace of change in Egypt• The reaction in Yemen to President Saleh's TV address

Here's a run down of the latest developments by country in a bit more detail:

In a rare show of unity, Egypt's largest political Islamist movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, will join a vast array of liberal, leftist and secular political forces, including youth representatives from this year's anti-Mubarak uprising. They will demand that police officers and former regime officials are finally held accountable and that the army's grip over the justice system comes to an end.